BELGRADE – On Saturday, 15 March, Serbia saw what some are assessing to be the largest protest in its history, with unprecedented numbers of people gathering in the city center from several directions. The citizens gathered to support the protesting students, who demand accountability for the last year’s Novi Sad tragedy.
Around 19:00, an unknown device was abruptly activated, dispersing peaceful protesters in one of the streets. The students accuse the authorities of activating a “sonic cannon”, a long-range acoustic device which experts claim is illegal.
“Just to be clear, the regime turned on a sonic cannon (a weapon banned in a huge number of countries that can cause permanent damage and trauma) during 15 minutes of silence for the 15 dead. There you go”, posted the profile of the students of the Faculty of Organizational Sciences.
The 15 minutes of silence are regularly held at every protest for the 15 victims of the Novi Sad tragedy on 1 November 2024. Videos of the moment when a device was activated, dispersing the crowd, are circling the social networks.
Zvučni top na studente u toku 15 minuta ćutnje? pic.twitter.com/7XOFSUqOlh
— Mirko Topalovic official (@mirkotopalovic7) March 15, 2025
In a statement for N1, the Ministry of Interior denied that it had used a sonic cannon, confirming that this is against Serbian law.
Students continue the fight for fulfillment of their demands
Students maintain that their demands remain unfulfilled by the authorities. They consist of the release of full documentation on the reconstruction of the Novi Sad railway station, whose canopy collapsed last November, as well as accountability for persons who attacked the students in subsequent protests.
The students did not specify what their next steps will be, but they were clear during the previous days that the protests, as well as university blockades, continue.
According to the official information by the Ministry of Interior, 107,000 people participated in the protests, which is by far the largest number provided by this institution for any of the protests in recent years. Many participants claim that the actual number is much higher.
Највећи скуп у историји Србије
pic.twitter.com/qTTlvhBRMd
— Kreni-Promeni (@KPromeni) March 15, 2025
The protest in Belgrade is a culmination of a series of protests in university centres starting in Novi Sad on 1 February, and continuing in Kragujevac on 15 February and Niš on 1 March. Each of these protests was assessed to be among the largest protests ever in the respective city.
As was the case with earlier protests, a large number of students organized days-long marches from their respective cities to the protest site in Belgrade. On Friday evening, marching students were received by large crowds in Belgrade who cheered them on.
Isolated incidents towards the end of the protest
Since the student protests started in late November, they have been fully peaceful. Students called for another peaceful protest in Belgrade. This was almost completely respected, with several minor incidents happening towards the end of the day, around the Pioneer Park, which is located between the Presidency of Serbia and the National Assembly.
During the first incident, there was an apparent minor clash between the protesters and the people located in the camp in the Pioneer Park, who present themselves as students who want to end the university blockade, though many of them are actually suspected to be hooligans with ties to the ruling party.
In a statement released on their official X page, protesting students wrote that “rocks and bottles were thrown from the Pioneer Park”.
As soon as this incident took place, students announced the end of the protest and stated they were withdrawing to the universities, not wanting to be associated with the possible escalation of violence.
No escalation happened, though a large number of policemen were deployed to the area, where they stayed for about an hour.
During the second incident, a man was physically assaulted by a group of other men. He was driven away by an ambulance. Neither the victim nor the perpetrators have been identified.